This invention pertains to the art of stabilization and more particularly, involves the photostabilization of rubber and rubber modified polymers e.g. impact polymers, against the oxidative deterioration thereof. The stabilization of the rubber is accomplished by incorporating therein a stabilizing amount of a nickel complex of a 2,2'-thiobis(p-alkylphenol).
The stabilization of rubber and rubber modified polymers has become of increasing concern in recent years due to the application of such polymers to exterior uses. Furthermore, with the advent of very clear, transparent, impact systems, color stability has become increasingly important and the need for substantially colorless stabilizers, of course, has increased proportionately.
Many different types of stabilizers have heretofore been exploited commercially for use as additives for rubber and rubber modified polymers but they have either been relatively ineffective over long periods of time or they have been of such disagreeable color that they have not been commercially accepted by the plastics industry.